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by asterisks-who
Summary: Castiel is Dean Winchester's tutor and they have grown to become good friends. Dean is on the track team and finds it hard to determine if he cares for Castiel as 'just a friend' or something more.
1. Double Dipping

**A/N**: It's fairly short because I wanted to focus just on those two scenes. This is just the kick off to the next chapters. Comment and review please! c:

* * *

With every fiber in his being Castiel tried to avoid Dean. Of course that was easier said than done since he had to tutor Dean after school. The last thing he wanted was to cause problems between him and his friends but after being attacked by one of them that kind of put a halt on that plan.

Just when he thought he was in the clear he heard his name being called from the distance. Regardless of hearing his name he just continued to walk across the football field.

"Yo Cas, wait up!" Dean shouted as he ran after him.

Castiel didn't want it to be obvious that he was avoiding Dean but his semi-sprint did not help his cause.

Being on the track team benefited Dean though. He caught up pretty quickly. "Dude I run for fun, did you really think you were going to outrun me?"

Castiel just shrugged, keeping his head down a bit. "I'm sorry. I uh, I thought I texted you about canceling tutoring tonight. I must have been mistaken."

"You okay, Cas? You're more awkwardly weird than usual."

He just nodded.

"Then look at me."

"..."

"Castiel Novak."

The teen bit his lip and cringed at the way his name was said. He didn't like that because he knew it was bad when Dean said his full name. With a nervous sigh he lifted his head and brought his gaze to Dean's.

Dean's eyes soaked in the sight before them. Dark hues of purple and blue that formed below his tutor's left eye on his cheek. "What the fuck happened? Who did this to you?" It would be an understatement to say that Dean was livid. He had grown quite fond of Castiel within their 4 months of tutoring. He cared about him.

"It's nothing of importance, Dean. I'm fine can we just drop it?"

"Yeah, I can drop my foot right up someone's ass! Who did it? Tell me now!" He wasn't letting it go without a fight. They may have been polar opposites but he considered Castiel a very close friend. If someone was hurting him he wanted to know.

"Dean, please. It is not that important."

Dean gave him that _disapproving mother_ look. "Listen, Cas, if something is going on I want you to tell me. I'm your friend."

And that was the problem. Dean said they were friends but how close were they actually? Castiel was sure that Dean was closer to his track buddies so he didn't want to add fuel to the fire. Too many complications were happening. The only reason Dean's friend hit him was because Castiel was interested in Dean. It wasn't a secret that Castiel was bisexual so they found him to be a great target. "Dean I um, I do not want to talk about it. Please." If he talked, Dean would find out about his feelings toward him.

Dean sighed. "Fine, I'll let it go for now but you have to tell me sooner or later."

"Thank you. I promise I will."

* * *

Tutoring went as normal aside from the intense silence between the two. Dean was still upset Castiel wouldn't tell him about the bruise and Castiel was terrified that Dean would find out about the crush, the crush that started in 5th grade.

"I'll walk you home." Dean commented as he packed up his things.

"That won't be necessary."

"I don't care. I'm still going to walk you home Cas." If someone was out to torture Castiel he wanted to be there to help him.

Castiel groaned as he gathered his things, obviously he didn't have a say in it. "Very well then."

Dean smiled victoriously and grabbed his bag. "Let's go." He had never been to Castiel's house and he was excited for some reason. They usually parted ways at his house or at the library.

They walked in silence and all Castiel could think about was how sweet it was that Dean insisted on walking him home. He fixated on how concerned he was when he saw the bruise and how intensely Dean was staring at him right at that moment. He really was a great guy despite the jerks that he hung out with. "I-is something wrong?" He asked, his gaze focused on the sidewalk.

"I'm just trying to figure out why you won't tell me who hurt you. I'm thinking it's because I know the person or something. That's the only reason I can think of that would have you hesitating to tell me."

"You promised to let it go."

"Yeah, I said that earlier. It's been like two hours now so yeah, I'm back on that boat again."

"You are so…so stubborn. It does not concern you, why can't you just let it go!?" He sighed as they approached his house. Were they really having their first argument?

"It does concern me! Someone that I know hit you and shit Castiel, you're hiding it from me and I don't fucking know why? You're more important damn it!" He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. Yes Castiel was his friend but he was more invested in his well-being than he should have been. He had been convincing himself that it was just, 'looking out for a friend' but that might not have been the case.

Castiel just huffed and pointed to his home. "This is my home. Thank you for walking with me. Goodnight, Dean." He said softly, shutting down the conversation on his own terms.

"Wait, no. We aren't done here." He followed after his friend up the porch steps. "You can't just run off when you don't want to talk about something. I'm pretty sure that's what you told me, right? You can't take your own advice?" He was angry and now he wasn't even sure if it was for the same reason as before. He was confused.

Castiel swung around and glared at Dean. "That's not fair."

"Neither is you ignoring my—"

"Ignoring your what, Dean? Your constant need to be in control of every little thing?!" He shouted. "Why don't you just—" He was cut off by Dean grabbing him by the collar and forcing him to take a few steps back.

"You're such an idiot!" Dean yelled as he shoved Castiel up against the front door. Before he could calculate his own actions he slammed his mouth against Castiel's and kissed him. It was an angry and sloppy kiss but still held some passion.

Castiel couldn't fathom what was occurring. A soft noise of surprised escaped past his lips but only to be muffled by Dean's mouth. Their bodies were pressed close as their short breathes were made known. Dean had Castiel's vest fisted tightly in his left hand as his other pinned his shoulder to the door. Was he really kissing Dean Winchester? He brought his hands up to Dean's shoulders and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. He still had a frown on his face but he was caught up in the moment.

Dean finally broke the kiss and stared down at the slightly shorter teen. What the hell did he just do? "I uh, I have to go. Shit, sorry, Cas." He held on tightly to the strap of his backpack and stepped away from Castiel with caution. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." He turned on the heels of his feet and sprinted down the steps then the street. He wasn't even mad anymore, he was just wondering why he intiated a kiss with another guy. On top of all the conflicting thoughts he really didn't want to lead Castiel on. He needed to sort things out and quickly.

Castiel was left standing there on the porch alone with his body longing for Dean's warmth again. He ghosted his fingers over his lips and watched as his friend headed down the street. Everything seemed to have escalated so quickly. One moment they were arguing and the next—. "Oh, God." He whispered to himself in sheer terror. That was one of the few things on his list that didn't need to happen between the two of them. His crush was crippling his judgment and he was sure things were going to fall apart sooner than later. Castiel was trying not to think too much into it because Dean was straight. That kiss meant absolutely nothing to him.

Right?


	2. No Guts, No Glory

**Summary**: After the kiss they shared things seem rocky between them. Dean is trying to fix it but Castiel is dodging bullets.

* * *

It all began seven years ago when Castiel and Dean were in the 5th grade, he protected Castiel from being picked on by a group of kids. Dean had always been popular in school but even if he wasn't he wouldn't have a problem telling someone to fuck off with their bullying crap. Castiel was the new kid and didn't know anyone so of course he was an easy target for the other students. Dean hated when people were picked on so he helped whenever he saw it happening. From that moment on, Castiel fell for Dean. He may not have been able to explain it at first but after several years passing he understood what he felt.

Fast-forwarding to the present situation, Castiel was baffled. It always ended with him silently swooning over his friend while Dean was oblivious to the affection. He felt friend-zoned since Dean referred to him as a _good friend_ and _a buddy_. In the end he didn't see anything else coming out of their relationship and he was okay with that. He liked being Dean's friend and wasn't willing to lose that. After they kissed the day before he couldn't stop thinking about it. It was unhealthy but could you blame him? His crush of almost eight years kissed him out of the blue. How was he supposed to ignore that? He wondered if Dean was stressing over the situation too.

"Castiel?" A deep voice murmured.

The teen snapped out of his thoughts and answered. He completely forgot that he was in class. "Yes?"

"Your answer?"

He glanced at the board and saw how much he actually missed. "I am sorry. I was not paying attention."

"Anyone wish to assist Mr. Novak with the problem?" The man asked as a few students giggled at Castiel's honesty.

Dean raised his hand. "66."

"That's correct, thank you, Dean."

Castiel locked eyes with Dean and felt his heart ache. He knew they needed to talk but he couldn't handle that. Dean worried him in ways that he couldn't understand.

"Alright class, for homework you have chapter 13, problems 1-25. Extra credit is due this Friday; tomorrow! So do not forget!"

Castiel packed up his things and tried to avoid making anymore eye-contact with Dean but he could still feel eyes on him. Zipping his messenger bag, he stood and darted for the door. Dean, of course, followed.

It may not have shown but Dean was just as freaked out as Castiel. He thought about the kiss nonstop throughout the night, obsessing over what it meant and why he did it. The only difference was he thought about how wonderful it felt, how it made his stomach knot up and his heart flutter. He loved it. He craved it. That's why they needed to sit and talk or things were only going to get worse.

"Yo, Cas!" He called out as he reached for Castiel's shoulder.

Castiel reluctantly stopped and turned to face his friend. Why did Dean have to be so impulsive and forward? Those were traits Castiel did not have that he wished he did. Maybe then interacting and confessing to Dean would be easier. "Yes, Dean?"

"I called you last night." He actually called a lot and instantly regretted his stalker moment that he had last night.

"You did?" He reached into his bag but his phone wasn't there. He must have left it at home. "I heard no ringing, I apologize."

"It's cool no worries, I just um, I thought we should talk. You know, about what happened yesterday at your house." He didn't know why he felt it was important to specify what he was talking about but it seemed necessary.

Before Castiel could respond, the school's intercom blared over his thoughts:

"_Castiel Novak, please report to the main office. I repeat; Castiel Novak, please report to the main office_."

Dean sighed. Of course that would happen when he really needed Castiel. "I guess we'll talk later?" He suggested.

"I will call you, tonight." He smiled softly and continued back to walking.

Dean watched him until he was out of sight. "Sure...sounds like a plan." He said to himself.

"Did dog lose his best friend?" Jo teased, poking Dean's cheek as she approached her friend.

"What?"

"Nothing, you just look like you lost your best friend. You okay?" She asked, concern in her voice.

He hesitated before answering. "Yeah, I just think I pissed Cas off."

"What did you do?"

"Not enough." He kissed Jo's cheek and headed to his last class of the day.

* * *

Dean's last class went by tediously. He couldn't even tell you what the teacher reviewed. When the bell rang he lazily gathered his things and headed out the door. Castiel wasn't in class so he figured something went wrong in the office. He pulled his phone from his pocket and texted Castiel. It read, _'Hey, did everything go okay in the office_?' He wasn't expecting a reply back so he pocketed his phone again and headed home. There wasn't much else he could do.

* * *

Gabriel, Castiel's brother, picked up from school early because they had to attend a funeral. When they returned home it was late and he finally found his cell phone. He saw the missed calls from the night before and the recent text from earlier that day. He debated on whether or not he would reply but he knew he couldn't avoid Dean much longer. "I should do this now." He said to himself. Castiel initially want to just text him but he knew Dean would call so he cut out the middle man and wanted to get this awkward conversation out of the way.

"You alright?" Dean said as soon as he answered.

"Yes. I- my family and I had to attend a funeral for one of my father's co-workers."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine."

The line went quiet because neither of them knew how to start the conversation that needed to be discussed. So of course, Dean spoke up first. "Alright, listen, I'm not sorry that I kissed you and you need to stop fucking avoiding me, man."

"I…" What was he to say to that? He couldn't let this happen. They had to remain friends or everything would be ruined.

"Can you come out front please?"

"You are outside my house?"

"Yeah, I think this should to be a face-to-face conversation because I need to see your face and make sure you understand what I'm saying." With that said he hung up with no other words. Rude.

Castiel, a few minutes later, came out the front door. He quietly exited and jogged over to where his friend was standing. They had known each other for years but the last four months of tutoring provided them with a more profound relationship. They were good friends but it was dipping into something else he wasn't ready to face. "You hung up on me."

"Yeah?"

Castiel just stared at him before sliding his hands into his pockets. "It's cold. You can come inside if you wish."

Dean nodded. "Alright."

The tutor turned on the heels of his feet and headed back towards the door.

Dean followed but stopped suddenly; he grabbed Castiel's shoulder and spun him around then gripped his face. With no hesitation, he pressed their lips together roughly, a kiss that was all frustration, passion, and bruised lips rolled into one action. When he pulled away, he caught Castiel's lower lip between his teeth and bit down hard. He was sure he broke the skin there since he tasted a bit of metallic when he pulled away.

Castiel's eyes were wide with confusion and want. His tongue slowly flicked out to glide over the throbbing wound on his bottom lip that was now bleeding. He didn't realize when it happened, but his fingers were digging into Dean's shoulders and they were pressed closely against each other. He could feel Dean's hands on his hips now.

Dean brought his right hand up to Castiel's chin and made sure they were looking into each other eyes. He wanted to show that he was serious. "I said I'm not sorry that I kissed you."

Castiel stared at him with a light blush tinting his cheeks. He understood now, they had _already_ crossed that friendship line.


End file.
